Metal theft thwarted in Dartmouth

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Two men were arrested Friday after a Dartmouth recycling depot was offered a suspiciously good deal on metal.

CBC News has learned the saga began earlier this week with a theft at a metal fabrication business.

Gary Dunn, production manager of AECON Fabco, said thieves made off with $26,000 worth of metal products from the company's yard in Dartmouth.

Fearing the bandits would return, employees watched the yard overnight. Sure enough, more metal items were taken early Friday.

An AECON employee followed the suspect vehicle to a recycling depot while a worker in the office called police.

Police found a stash of stolen metal in a car nearby and arrested two men. They said the vehicle was stolen too.

Dunn said the recycling depot helped by stalling the pedlars. He said the suspects were willing to accept $100 for approximately $4,000 worth of metal.

He said the most expensive pieces were returned to the company.

Metal theft has become a problem in Nova Scotia. Thieves have torn copper wire off power poles and oil tanks to get at the lucrative metal.

The Safe Collection of Scrap Metal Act was introduced in the provincial legislature last fall. It requires dealers and recyclers to record all of their transactions, along with the name of every seller.